By the end of three quarters, the Meralco Bolts had four players in double figures. Around the same time, Air21 had four of its starters toiling at 4 points or less.

The disparity couldn’t be more pronounced.
John Wilson went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the second quarter when the Bolts broke away, Sunday Salvacion 2 for 2 and Rey Guevarra 1 for 1 – a completed 4-point play – as Meralco crushed the Air21 Express, 112-79, last night for its first win in the PLDT myDSL-PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Air21, which enjoyed two deadlocks and four leadchanges before the lights went out, fell to 0-3 in its franchise-worst 33-point loss.

Hitting 6-of-7 triples, the Bolts outscored the Express, 38-21, in the second period on the way to their biggest winning margin in franchise history. (Meralco beat this same team, then known as Shopinas.Com, 106-77, in the 2012 Governors’ Cup.)

Wilson, the 2009 NCAA most valuable player from Jose Rizal University, went on to make it a perfect 6 for 6 from beyond the 3-point arc in posting a career-high 26. That tied an all-time record for most triples in a game without a miss after Simon Atkins, Renren Ritualo, Dondon Hontiveros, Vic Pablo and Glen Capacio.

A newly-installed offensive system, said Bolts coach Ryan Gregorio, accounted for their franchise best 13 triples (out of 26) which complemented their 52 percent 2-point shooting.

“I’m happy with our level of accuracy in this game,” said Gregorio. “We’ve introduced a new system and we know it’s just a matter of time, if we chew on it and embrace it, that we’ll get good looks and open shots.”